Project Dispersed Memories Part 1
by DM-sama
Summary: Organization XIII has invaded my home. For my Summer Vacation, I find myself having to deal with their troublesome ways, and the interesting secrets that they brought with them. Alternate Universe? Quite.
1. Introduction

_So, after four years of drafting, abandoning, mulling, returning, and repeating the whole process, I finally posted up this little tale! Honestly, I would've posted this up sooner, but it took a while for FanFiction to accept my character request, and then Final Fantasy had to come steal me away for awhile there and then exams...well, it's Summer Vacation...I'm back!**  
**_

_Please enjoy!_

_Project Dispersed Memories Part I_

**~*Introduction*~**

There was just something _so_ appealing about the last day of school.

Resting comfortably in my desk chair, thoughtfully chewing the tip of my pen, I remained one of the only students in that buzzing classroom that wasn't fidgeting their brains out. Light chatter filled the room, the harshness of the clock ringing in our ears.

_Tick tick tick tick._

Such an uneasy sound. One that spoke of a promise to come yet showed us just how far away our freedom was, a mere two minutes that felt like forever.

_Tick..._

_Tick..._

_Tick..._

_The ultimate tease_, I groaned inwardly.

And then the bell rang, its piercing scream echoing about the empty school halls.

For the first time since the beginning of the year, the school was completely and utterly quiet.

Then someone shouted.

Then another.

A cheer.

A high five here. A whoop there.

And then, before I even had one measly picosecond to cover my ears, the whole school erupted in an uproar.

There's really no way to describe the instantaneous chaos. Students ripped up papers and jumped around wildly, performing the most eccentric of dances, drunk on the taste of long awaited freedom. Teachers exclaimed the homework assignments at the last second, reminding us to stay good and clean, trying to reign in the chaos.

Like animals the monster-demon children ripped open the classroom doors and continued their rampaging in to the hall. I had barely managed to snatch up my backpack. In a whirlwind of confusion I found myself being herded outside, clutching onto my backpack for dear life, as I was spun out in to the hallway, blood still swirling around in my head. Hands grabbed for me, and my feet were trampled upon, but I paid them little mind. As I threw open the double-door exit, a violent ocean of stir-crazy students by my side, I could suddenly feel a whole year's worth of weight being lifted off my chest.

I took my very first steps towards the summer vacation of my junior year, a light feeling in my stomach, and electricity buzzing in my head. I took a deep, deep breathe of the fresh air.

_Hmm...taste like freedom._

I exhaled.

My liberating moment was broken as people pushed pass me, forcing me down the walkway that led to the parking lot. I shifted and adjusted my backpack, my bearings completely upside down as I tried to regain my footing. I had barely any warning at all when something large and massive suddenly engulfed me in a crushing hug.

"_Zexy-chaan!_"

I squeaked. "Urgh, Wendy! You know I can never _breathe _when you do that!"

Wriggling out of the iron grasp, I whirled around to shoot a lethal glare at the perpetrator. A pair of eyes that were colored an orange that didn't exist in nature twinkled merrily back at me, doing well to instantly melt my petty anger.

"I merely do it to reassure myself that you'll react properly should you ever be attacked by some unruly male," the girl explained, flaring her nostrils. It was an impressive sight, considering her bright pink-and-blue hair and tie-die shirt.

I groaned and rubbed my eyes, an involuntary smile squirming on my face. "At least I'll always know that I have my Mar-Mar to protect me from these saidticular males." We both snickered. I turned to the two loitering teens by my side. A brother and a sister. Lisa and Sammy Becker, my two upper upperclassmen. Both of them towered over me, their blonde hair shimmering in the sunlight, dressed as if they were preparing to go to the beach. Their identical expressions were hauntingly similar as they smiled mirthfully at me.

Of course, they were twins.

"Well, you'll want to be on your guard tonight, little girl," exclaimed Sammy, his bright blue eyes flashing with childish excitement. He was practically bouncing in his Rip Curl flip flops. Sammy clapped a familiar hand atop my head. "If your dearest bookworm goes around in that adorable blue wig of hers, we just might have a riot on our hands."

I had the decency to blush. "Costume party, huh?"

"Naturally," said Lisa, her presence a lot calmer than that of her brother. Her blue eyes were critical. "It's our civic duty to throw an end of the year party, to set up the red carpet for SummerFest. You would know if you actually showed up, D." She glared at me in good humor, though the accusation was well implied.

I smiled, still heavily blushing, and shrugged. "What can I say? I'm just playing hard to get."

They laughed. Sammy punched me playfully on the shoulder, a sentiment I returned with a smile. "Well, I hope to see you there anyway, D. Eight o'clock _sharp_." Both still smiling, the Becker twins joined the fleeing group of students, blending with the crowd.

I waved them both goodbyes, trying to ignore the sizzling glare my friend was pointedly shooting me. If was fairly difficult considering her contact coloring seemed to bore holes into me. When all of the students who mattered were out of earshot, Wendy clapped her hand on my shoulder and whirled me around. Her pouty lips were jutted heavily in a frown.

"You're not coming, are you?" she said instantly. I dropped my eyes and looked down at my shoelaces. She released me, stomping her foot. "There goes a nice boy openly _flirting _with you, and you can't even come to _one _of his stinking parties? It's not _fair_, D!"

The old feeling of petty guilt wormed its way into my stomach, but I was well acquainted with it enough to politely ignore it. "I'm sorry, but Aki wants to do something tonight. I promised I would hang out with her so we could play video games together." Her frown grew even heavier, and she crossed her arms, eyes narrowed skeptically.

"Mmhmm, and how does Aki feel knowing that she's the butt of every excuse you use in order to not socialize?"

_Ouch. _

Feeling the slight taste of shame welling the back of my throat, I placed defense, furrowing my brow. "The only reason _you're_ upset is because I won't be there to help you flirt with Sammy."

I ignored the shameful sting as she flinched and flushed deeply. "H—he just likes talking to you better," she mumbled, fiddling her pinkies.

The shame grew heavier.

"I'm sorry, Wendy," I murmured. "But c'mon, it's summer break!" I clapped a comforting hand on her shoulder, smiling brightly. "He'll be wrapped around your finger by this time August."

Wendy sighed. "Yeah…yeah, okay, fine, you win. You _promise _you'll at least come to SummerFest, right?"

"Of course I will!"

Wrapping me up in one more engulfing hug, she slapped an unsuspecting wet kiss on my cheek. I squirmed and groaned until she let me go.

"_Ugh!_" I screeched, roughly wiping my face. "I will talk to you tomorrow, Ms. Lambert." We both laughed again.

With those last words hanging between us, we wandered off in different directions, me, calmly strolling to the parking lot, and her, dashing off to the party going on by the gymnasium.

**~*O*~**

It was a half hour later. I was resting inside my car, lightly reading a book as I waited for the middle school to let out it's students. Suddenly, a petite little girl's face appeared outside my window, her eyes glimmering happily as she lightly tapped on the glass. I unlocked the car doors and waited till she hopped inside and buckled up before starting up my truck.

Aki, my eleven year old younger sister, had her iPod earphones in and was bobbing her head erratically, her pretty, chocolate brown hair swaying left to right. We both remained in comfortable silence as I drove us home. She then plugged the contraption into the adapter connected into the radio. _Passion _boomed out of the speakers, doing well to startle me out of oblivion.

"I've been looking forward to this _all week_," she squeaked out, bubbling with excitement. She seemed unaffected as her seat began rattling in beat of the song. "The ultimate _Kingdom Hearts _video game experience! _Tonight!_"

I turned down the volume before my eardrums could begin bleeding. I fixed her with a stern look. "Only if you don't have any homework to work on, dearest."

She shot me a _don't-kid-like-that _glare. The color of her eyes blurred and meshed together to create a beautiful, dark blue. It could either very gorgeous or frightfully scary. "Only Ms. Gomes gave us anything, and it was some book assignment. You _know _that that doesn't count as homework. _All week_, D," she begged pitifully. "_A__ll weeeek_."

I laughed and rolled my eyes, making a show of considering it, cruelly playing with her anticipation. Then I said, "All _right_, we can play _tonight_. But I want to see you working that book tomorrow morning. Promise?"

"_Promise!_"

We interlocked pinkies and listened to her tunes the whole way home. A skull-aching headache was fast approaching, but I decided to ignore it.

A wise man once told me, _never stand between a wolf and its prey. _So when Aki nearly ripped open my car door and raced into the house, aiming for the console, I just grinned and let it go. Grabbing both of our backpacks and locking the car and I leisurely walked in after her. She was already ripping through the game cases. _Assassin's Creed _and _Twilight Princess _went flying through the air.

"_Aha!_" she cried holding up her prize over her head. Throwing our bags onto the couch, I unzipped my jacket and hung it on the coat rack, trying to keep my face as somber as possible.

"Hey," I protested as she pounced on the PS2, "at _least _wait until after dinner, you."

The reaction was almost instantaneous. She swirled around towards me, her short brown hair flying around wildly. Lighting crackled in her blue eyes.

"_ALL! WEEK!_ _D!"_

"Then you can wait another two hours," I pointed out calmly. My grin grew somber. "Is this all you plan to do with your summer? Play Kingdom Hearts?"

"_Heavens _no!" she exclaimed, her eyes bulging. "If I do that then I just _might _get sick of it! That just won't do. However, _tonight _is the perfect night for an extravaganza!" She hesitated for a moment, let exhaled loudly. "_Sigh_, but I guess if it's on your orders I shall postpone such amazing plans."

My eyes grew wide, and I touched my chest in shock. "For _me_?"

"For _you_."

She reluctantly tucked the game away, and trotted over to the kitchen. As I placed the disturbed game cases back in the wall-unit I could hear the clatter of dishes and furrowed my brow when I heard the telltale sounds of someone pouring a bowl of cereal. A few seconds later she reappeared inhaling a bowl of Fruit Loops that didn't even have any milk.

I gaped. "_This _is dinner to you?"

She looked up at me with a cheeky grin. "It's all a matter of perspective."

There was no hesitation as she jumped over to the TV and started up the console. I rolled my eyes and began to massage my temples.

_Let the summer-time festivities begin_, I thought as I settled onto the couch. The _SquareSoft _logo floated onto the screen.

**~*O*~**

At one point in our lives Aki and I had blithely wondered the bare minimum of how long it would take to finish the first Kingdom Hearts game. It took a few days of crunching numbers (_does the secret fight with Sephiroth count? How about synthesis material gathering?_) , but in the end it took us a bare minimum of forty hours. _Too _long.

Aki, the little warrior that she was however, was determined.

_No DS, no PSP, just the three main console games IN ORDER! _she had exclaimed.

A relief, if you asked me.

But there we were perhaps twelve hours later. It felt like four o'clock in the morning by the time I finally roused myself from sleep. Stretched out on the couch, I blearily looked about the room. The electronic clock glowed in the darkness.

Three fourty-six?

_Uuurrggh...close enough_.

Ignoring the sudden wave of dizziness, I struggled up to my feet, and tried to get my bearings.

The living room, for one thing, was a complete, utter disaster. Chips and soda cans littered the floor in a disgusting Picasso. It almost as if we had housed several pigs here for three weeks rather than two teenage girls playing a video game. The light from the TV made the whole thing feel as if though I was in some sort of B-rated horror movie. _Ugh, creepy._

The illusion was shattered when I saw Aki cuddled up on the floor, and I suddenly remembered the real nightmare. Re: Chain of Memories was cradled close to her like a stuffed toy. I could only guess she had been meaning to rest her eyelids before popping in the next game, finally sick of hearing Sora's voice before it hit puberty.

_Okay, okay, so we started the game at four thirty…do the math…eleven hours? Yesh, and I didn't even make it to six… _

I was quick to turn off the TV, never wanting to see that blasted _Continue _screen ever again. Jostling the case out of her greedy hands I lifted the poor girl into my arms and began the strenuous process of carrying her up the stairs to bed.

Our house had four bedrooms. Before Dad left for overseas he had had the master bedroom, while Aki and I had our own rooms tucked away in the back of the house. One more room was usually reserved for a guest. After Dad had left, I inherited the master bedroom, as I rightfully deserved it, leaving the used blue room covered with anime posters in the complete mess that I've left it in four years ago.

Aki's room was very tranquil. It was painted a sort of _deep _purple that made me sleepy just looking at it. She was all into that _zen _business, _relaxation _and what not. One time she went through a kind of _Feng Shui _phase, telling me how off my aura felt. I had laughed.

Tossing her headfirst onto the bed she immediately snuggled into the pillows, muttering what suspiciously sounded like "_Mar-Mar, don't leave…_"

I chuckled.

Flipping off the lights and leaving her to enjoy her dreams I sauntered over to my room with distant fantasies of my own warm bed. It most certainly was a master bedroom, with an adjoining bathroom and walk-in closet. It was the _bed _I loved so much, with its silky, caressing sheets, and was wide enough to comfortably hold a family of five.

Telling myself to wait just a little bit longer I walked to the bathroom (resisting from turning on the lights, as I knew my retinas would probably catch fire) and felt my way in the darkness for my toothbrush and paste. My mouth tasted vaguely like pizza and taco sauce. Scrubbing down my teeth to the very root I blearily looked at my reflection.

A dreary, disheveled young girl stared back up at me, her hazy green eyes distant and tired as she tried focusing on me. Even in the darkness her abnormally pale skin seemed to glow. Pulling back my hair I drank from the tap and spat out the toothpaste, feeling fairly better with minty breath. Shaking myself, I looked back up to the girl and smiled broadly at her.

I trudged into my room and dove face first on to the four-poster bed. Quickly becoming lost in the sheets I reached out for my pillow, buried my head as far in as it could go and emptied my mind of all things logical until there was nothing left but a ballerina performing the waltz on top of Big Ben.

At that point I became lost in dreams.

**~*O*~**

_You can often tell how great your day is by how your morning goes_, a wise man once told me.

Arising from sleep the next morning I remained in a sort of Twilight Zone, that state just between asleep and awake. I could vaguely remember the details of my dreams, which involved an erratic collage of drowning toy dolls and dancing syringe needles. Creepy.

Eventually I began to fully wake up, staring listlessly out the window. The weak rays of morning peaked through the curtains, pleasantly alighting the room. I yawned, smacking my lips and shaking myself. It was then that I heard some sort of shuffling downstairs. Looking at the clock I groaned. _Ten forty-six? _Dear lord, if that girl couldn't go a measly six hours without Kingdom Hearts I was going to seriously start considering an insanity plea.

Figuring it wouldn't be good to start the day carrying last night's filth on me, I jumped out of bed and hopped over to the bathroom. Starting up the inviting shower, I shimmied out of my clothes and stepped into the gushing stream of warm water. Feeling the knots in my shoulder uncoil, I began to lather up, smiling contently.

Doubtless the rest of the week would be nothing but Aki's would go on to complain about how they always kill the best characters. She would compel me to fight all the bosses on Re: Chain of Memories because she hated that damn card system, yet was far too loyal to the characters to abandon the game entirely. We would also probably catch deadly diseases that came about due to extreme laziness. Who would want to go back to that?

Well, Aki wasn't the first of our family to fall into obsession for Kingdom Hearts, after all. _I had an unhealthy obsession with fictional video game characters before it was cool._

Besides, spending quality time with my dearest sister was just enough to keep Wendy off my back about my 'antisocial tendencies'. Not to imply that I was using my sister for that purpose; but it was convenient.

Only after I was sure my hair smelled like a rose garden I began the painstaking process of rinsing out the shampoo. I reluctantly shut off the water and shivered as the merciless cold air kissed my wet skin.

_Just think, once this is all over and done with, I can probably drag little Aki to the beach, _I thought, mind drifting to the beachside towns and carnivals and surfs. _No, Wendy would never forgive me if I missed SummerFest…_

My fantasies were rudely interrupted when I heard a loud knock on the door. I jolted up in surprise and looked into my room, still in the disarray that I had left it. Who would be knocking? Certainly not Aki, she _never _knocks, much rather believing in brutal entry, a habit that led to more than one embarrassing incident.

However, the knocking sounded again, this time much more urgent. I hurriedly threw on a bath robe as I briskly walked towards the door. Upon throwing it open, I was surprised to see Aki there staring up at me with wide eyes. Before I had time to open my mouth she whispered, "There's someone downstairs."

I blinked. Then I slowly blinked again.

"_What_?"

At first I couldn't believe her and assumed she had made up some sort of sick joke. The look in her blue eyes was enough to convince me otherwise, and I placed my hands comfortingly on her shoulders. "Who is it? Is it a robber?"

She shook her head fretfully, her shoulders shaking with fright. "No, it's—it's…I was… he was just _lying _there…I…" Looking a second away from crying, she bit her lip and looked down at her feet.

"What is it?"

"It's _Vexen_," she said finally.

My jaw slacked with open surprise. _What did she say? Vexen? __Poor thing, she must be hallucinating._ Like she was reading my mind, she was already shaking her head, tears threatening to spill. "It's true, Dianna! The hair, the coat, _everything_—it looks _just like him_." Grabbing my hands she tried to tug me into the hallway. "C'mon, see for yourself!"

The panic in her tone suggested she wanted me to see it if only to prove that she wasn't insane. I myself wasn't so sure. The trip downstairs was an eternity (myself being acutely aware that I was still in a bathrobe), my logic warring with my sensibility. I knew that Aki was a very reasonable girl, and that it takes a lot to get her to become anything even close to scared. I also knew that it would take something earth shatteringly traumatic to cause her to mentally snap.

_But Vexen in our house_?

What could she have seen?

When we entered the living room, where not six hours ago I had woken up, my mind went blank. Aki squeaked and hid behind me, clutching my hand like she was five years old again, the both of us trapped in a haunted house.

There he was, exactly how my sister had described him with a few extra horrifying details. Flat on his back, platinum blonde hair in disarray, his black uniform wrinkled and charred. Vexen, Number IV of Organization XIII, utterly passed out in my living room.

**~*O*~**

_To be continued..._

And so it begins...

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**Comment Question of the Day:**

****What do you like to do on the first day of Summer Vacation?

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~DM-sama


	2. Insanity In A Nutshell

**~*Insanity in a Nutshell*~**

This must have been how Alice felt when she unwittingly stumbled into Wonderland, like the whole thing was just an unreal dream. The difference with that was a trip to Wonderland sounded like fun. Mad Hatter? Talking flowers? Sign me up._  
_

Finding an evil video game character passed out in your living room, however, did not sound like fun. In fact, if you looked up in a dictionary the antonyms of 'fun' this would be the scenario; an evil video game character passed out in one's living room.

Wait, maybe not entirely passed out. His fingers were twitching and I could see his eyes swiveling underneath his closed eyelids. That surely spoke of life, right? Unless someone had a sick interest in necromancy.

"You see him too?" Aki whispered, her voice quavering. My throat was stuck; all I could think of was to nod. It was a wonder I heard her at all; there was a faint, annoying buzzing sound in my ears.

She breathed a huge sigh of relief ("_Phew!_") and her whole body slacked. It was like she cared more about her sanity than the fact that there was an evil video game character passed out in our living room.

No, not passed out. He opened up his eyes just slightly at the sound of our voices.

Tucking away my better senses of running away and perhaps calling the police (or even fetching a baseball bat), I slowly approached and knelt down next to him.I curled my hand into a fist and meekly tapped him with my knuckle, trying to keep any form of contact to a minimum. "_Hey?_" I whispered. "_Hey, you alive_?"

"_Nnnng_."

Well, he could speak. That was surely a good sign.

He produced a few more sounds, enough to tell me that he most definitely wasn't dead. He shifted. One dulled green eye swiveled open and fixated on me. _Yup, definitely not dead._

Once again I ignored my better senses and asked softly, "Who are you? Can you tell me what your name is?"

His lips opened just ever so slightly and whispered something I couldn't catch. The whole process seemed to exhaust him as he grew even paler than before. He looked like a frightful ghost. Aki nervously hovered over me, biting her fist yet remaining concerned. I knelt closer, feeling a sense of idiocy mixed with severe apprehension. "Say that again?"

His eyes inched open, and he released a heavy breath. "_Vexen_."

Well, damn.

Sure, just because he _said _his name was Vexen didn't actually make it true, but considering the sorry state he was in I doubt this creeper was in much a mood for lying._ Vexen is probably a real common name. Nothing to worry about._

Biting my lip, I quickly became lost at what to do.

Suddenly Aki dropped to her knees and knelt down far too close to him for my taste. Her hair brushed his clammy forehead. Eyes scanning over his face, she seemed to reach a decision. "D'you...think maybe we should move him to the couch?" I looked over to her with a furrowed brow, my reluctance obvious."Well, the floor doesn't exactly look comfortable does it?"

"Well, it's a start," I admitted, though I wasn't really sure. But again, we had to start somewhere. Moving closer I whispered, "Hey, don't freak out, we're just going to move you a bit. Kay?" _Yeah, don't freak out. Don't try to kill me, that's what I'm trying to say_. He slightly inclined his head, telling me that he heard or perhaps just acknowledging my existence.

Shifting over towards his head, I gestured for Aki to move to his lower body. Wrapping my arms around his torso and heaving him up, his head fell limply on my chest. I became acutely aware once again that I was wearing nothing more than a bathrobe. Aki scooped up his ankles and with a nod I counted to three out loud.

_"One…two…three!"_

With a mighty tug we both hauled the dead weight on to the couch. I couldn't drop him fast enough. I could hear my heart pound in my ears, and I took short, gasping breaths. Jumping back, Aki rejoined me at the other end of the couch, her expression soft and concerned.

"He needs something to eat," she stated simply. I glared at her, not in the mood for her coddling.

"What, so he could try and kill us with it?"

Aki rolled her eyes, actually seeming _amused _by my words, the damned girl. "We could just get him something to drink at least. Don't we have some orange juice?"

Before I could say anything she dashed off towards the kitchen, leaving me with the half-dead burglar unconscious on my couch. I reluctantly let her go without protest, not enjoying the parlor of the man's cheeks anyway. It was disturbing, especially when my mind tortured me by making comparisons between him and my dead grandfather at his funeral. _Thanks brain, I needed that._

Leaning in as close as I would dare, I closely scrutinized him. At first I was hoping I could find some flaws that all cosplayers possessed, something that told me he was just another Steve or Larry. Synthetic hair, fake leather coat, you know, the works. If anything, though, it just made that sinking feeling in my stomach grow worse. It wasn't just his hair or the startling green eyes, but even his facial features caused alarm. The high-cheek bones, the gaunt features…

Unless this guy was an extremely avid Vexen fan (which was silly because _no one _liked Vexen that much) I didn't have any other choice than to cave into that tiny little voice in my head.

Either that or check into an insane asylum.

Aki then returned with the orange juice in hand. It took both of us to prop him up into sitting position, which was very frustrating as he was _very _heavyand kept sliding back down. Eventually we propped him up and I crossly shoved the glass under his nose.

"You'll want to drink this," I stated. His eyes were bleary as he tried to focus on the cup. "It'll give you some of your energy back." Slowly he roused, limply lifting his hand and taking it from me, almost dropping it. He was slow at first, but the more that he consumed the more vigor he seemed to get back. Pretty soon all we had was an empty cup, which he deftly gave back to me. I noted with relief that some color came back to his face. He opened his eyes fully and his eyes sparkled with all the annoyance of an irritated old man.

_Well, what do you know._

I gulped, trying to hold back a scream. "How did you get in here?" I hastily demanded.

Eyebrows narrowed at being asked such a direct question, his puffed up arrogance seemed to return along with his energy.

"I think the better question would be why _you_ have brought me here," he said. _His voice! Even his freaking voice!_

My jaw locked stubbornly. "No, it's not really a better question at all."

"Oh, really? And just why not?"

"Because we did not _bring _you here," I snapped. He snorted contemptuously. "My little sister woke up to find you sprawled across our living room floor in a coma. _You _brought yourself in here."

"Don't be absurd!" he retorted. "The last thing I remember was confronting that little Keyblade brat, and now this _horrid _place."

For half a second, I felt sympathetic. Whether or not I felt sorry for the fact that the old guy didn't know he was dead, or that he was completely and incurably out of his mind, I couldn't tell. My mind was a complete, jumbled mess and at that moment I couldn't have added two and two together without it making up six.

"You might want to fast forward a bit," I said tersely, humoring him. "Don't you remember? Axel? Fire? _See you, Senpai_? Any of this a-ringing a bell?"

Vexen opened his mouth, looking quite intent on verbally smacking me, when dazed horror suddenly dawned on his face. Clearly, from what I could of his expression, it did ring a bell. A loud one at that.

He lurched to his feet (doing well to startle me and Aki out of oblivion) and looked around wildly, as if he suddenly realized he had no idea where he was. It was the poster-board picture of someone in a panic, complete with running a frenzied hand across his face. He whirled around on his heel, his eyes wide and panicked, fixated on me. I grabbed for Aki and moved her closer to me.

"Where _am _I?" he asked vehemently, fear visible. Both of us remained quiet, unsure of how to answer such a question.

Aki managed to collect herself before I could. "You're on planet Earth." Her voice was surprisingly steady. "Our house, specifically, but...Well, this is _our _world, umm, sir?" She trailed off awkwardly, eyes colored with concern.

Her words, however, seemed to do the trick, as his panic alleviated, for the moment.

"So…I'm not dead?" he asked timidly, his tone hinting relief.

"Oh, you're deader than a doornail," I stated matter-of-factly. Aki glanced at me. "This place that you're in is a completely different _universe_. Dead." It was the wrong thing to say, I knew it was, but his reaction was so instantaneous I barely had enough time to regret it. His panic quickly resurfaced, along with a touch of defensive anger that was directed straight at me.

"And just how do _you_ know that?"

"We _saw _you." Aki sounded cheery. "Die, I mean. You see, you along with the rest of the Organization are all a part of a video game."

"I would have handled that a little bit more delicately, but that works too," I muttered under my breath. Taking a breath, I braced myself for what I was to say next. "But of course none of that matters because you aren't really dead."

"I—I'm not?"

"_No,_" I replied hotly. "Because _you _aren't Vexen."

Now he was getting even angrier, standing up at full height, towering over us.

"I most certainly _am…Vexen_," he snapped back.

At that point my already delicate patience had cracked. My glare became fierce.

"If you _were _Vexen, which you _aren't_"—I added tersely—"that would mean you would have somehow resurrected yourself through means completely unknown, defined all laws of reality and outlying planes and shot out of that game over there,"—I pointed to the said case—"and have traveled across the space time continuum in order to reach _here._"—I pointed at my feet—"Unless you are a figment of my imagination, which I am still strongly considering, _you aren't real_."

Vexen's jaw flapped uselessly. I was impressed he was even trying to make sense out of all this. He seemed to be having a pretty tough time trying, though, which garnered a proud sense of satisfaction from me. He sunk back down onto the couch, looking completely at a loss of what to say.

_And that, as they say, is that._

I was already planning on what to tell the people at the nut house when Aki suddenly placed a hand on my arm. Her expression was nothing less than everlasting patience. "You know as well as I do that some things don't have to make sense. They're a lot of things that could have happened to bring him here, things that we don't know about."

My glare grew darker, but I didn't reply, unwilling to consider her words. To actually think that she could be right...that _he _was actually real...

"I don't know how to prove it to you," Vexen said suddenly, looking up at us with a desperate expression, "but I _am _Vexen of Organization XIII. I swear it upon anything that has value."

I narrowed my eyes, unimpressed. Suddenly a brilliant, crazy idea came over me. I eyed a stray paperweight resting on one of the end tables. Scooping it up, I said haughtily, "Alrighty then, here,"—I tossed him the paperweight—"freeze that."

Clumsily catching it, he stared at me with an offended expression, as if such a test was beneath him. I gestured impatiently at the weight. He bit his tongue, but otherwise focused his attention on the object.

A few seconds passed, and by that time I had already triumphantly convinced myself that all this was just a monumental waste of time. I was prepared to bitterly scold him—

—just as the frozen weight crashed onto the floor. Icy fragments scattered everywhere. The paperweight could clearly be seen frozen in a block of ice.

My face turned pale white and my jaw dropped; I think my ears popped.

"Okay, now just was that supposed to prove?" Vexen asked sharply, obliviously unaware of my imminent meltdown. Aki began trying to comfort me, patting my arm, saying words that I couldn't register.

I sunk down onto the couch, my eyes wide and unseeing, clapping my hand over my mouth and trying to bite down the scream that was building in my chest. Spots danced underneath my eyelids and I felt a crushing wave of vertigo.

"Just breathe, D, there's nothing to be afraid of," said Aki, placing comforting hands on my shoulders like I had done not twenty minutes ago. I only barely managed to hold back the dizzying nausea, trying to focus on the warmth of her hands instead.

"What's the matter with her?"

"She's going into shock."

"What? _Why_?"

"Well, you see, in our world people just can't freeze things at will. That's what we call _paranormal activity_."

A few moments passed. I could vaguely felt myself trembling and I could suddenly see Aki's pale white expression, her purple eyes colored with worry. "Don't worry, D," she said in a tiny voice. She sounded very, very small and unsure, and I realized that she's probably never seen me so freaked out like this before. She squeezed my hand. "Why don't we all go into the dining room and have some breakfast? I'm starving."

I nodded blankly, covering my eyes with my hand, trying to block out the world and collect my thoughts. I was led to the dining room and sat down in one of the elegant chairs. Quite randomly I thought about how I haven't been in this dining room for three solid years, usually preferring to eat in the living room than the stylish sitting room usually reserved for society's finest. Dad did always like fancy decor.

I buried my head in my arms, quavering silently, trying to slow my breathing.

"Uuuh, Mister Vexen?" I heard Aki whisper a few feet away. I hadn't realized that he had followed us. "You're going to have to help me make breakfast." Vexen spluttered. "Well, you can't just expect us to make your food for you! Plus, I don't know how to work the iron. Sis never lets me use it."

Their scuffling moved out of the dining room and into the kitchen. I took this time to try and collect myself accordingly, lifting up my head and shaking myself. _Okay, okay D, don't panic. That's Vexen. He's real. He's real and dead. He's alone in the kitchen with my little sister._

"_Belgian waffles?_" Vexen yelped from the kitchen. Aki giggled and said something I couldn't catch. I clapped my hands over my ears, groaning.

_So he's making you Belgian waffles. No biggie. _I began to take deep breaths to calm my racing heart, thankful that Aki had taught me those breathing techniques. _Oh, what am I going to do?_

"Take it one step at a time, D," I muttered. Sinking deeper into my chair I tried to empty my mind of all thoughts, focusing on all thoughts unrelated with anything electronic or otherworldly. It worked for a bit, too. I kept up the exercise for a good five minutes, focusing heavily on the last words that I had said to Wendy yesterday as my distraction of choice.

_I will talk to you tomorrow, Ms. Lambert._

_I seriously need to call her…was it really only yesterday?_

Just when I started to feel slightly sane again, Aki came waltzing back in through the swinging door carrying two plates. Vexen followed after her with his own waffle. He looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"These came out really great, sis!" she exclaimed, placing one golden, crisp waffle that looked like it was sent from heaven in front of me. She mustn't have seen how green my face had gotten, or was just ignoring it. "Vexen's a great cook!"

"Right," he murmured. He looked at the table in confusion before Aki gestured for him to take the seat across from me. Sighing, probably not wishing to be near me just as much as I to him, he sat.

The next few minutes were filled with anxious silence, minus the clattering of Aki's silverware. Only she was eating, looking completely at ease, whilst Vexen and I were staring out our waffles like we were going to vomit on them. For once I actually sympathized with him. Vomiting sounded really good right now.

"Oh _come on_, eat your waffles you guys!" Aki cried, sounding like she had a golf ball in her mouth. "You'll feel better with a full stomach. Trust me, _they're good_." She continued eating, as endearing as ever. Her face, though, was still a little bit pale and I noticed her hands were shaking. I could tell she was trying very hard to keep a tight upper lip._  
_

It took some willpower, but I managed to look up. He was still there, green eyes distant and flaxen blonde hair still in terrible condition. He met my gaze, and just shrugged, looking too exhausted to argue. We both reached for our silverware and dug in. I was surprised to find that Aki was right—these _were _pretty good.

Obviously Vexen was a man with many talents.

Pretty soon the food was gone, and an awkward silence befell the room. No one could think of anything to say. Of course, what _could _you say in a situation like this? Once again, my younger sister was the first one to collect herself._  
_

"I'll go get us something to drink," said Aki pleasantly. "Urrm...mister Vexen? Do you like milk with your waffles?"

What a bizarre question.

"Uh, I don't mind," he said and I felt my lips curl into a small smile at his expense. My little sister nodded and trotted back into the kitchen. When she left, I shook myself a bit, trying to ignore the fact that I was now all alone with the nonexistent person in my living room. _It's been ten minutes and he's still there…time to accept the fact that I'm just crazy…_

A few minutes passed, and the air grew thicker. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"So…" I mumbled awkwardly. "You're Vexen, huh?"

He didn't look at me. "Yes."

_Yup, definitely insane._

"Sooo…Vexen…Number IV, right?"

"Yes."

"Ice powers…and a shield…you're pretty good at magic, ya?"

"Yes."

I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to lower my hackles. I had the distant urge to get up and run into the nearest lake and drown myself.

Since I was so bad at small talk, I decided to take a more direct route; ask him the question that had been weighing down on my mind the most. In other words; interrogation. I took a deep breath, hoping to ease us both into the inquisition.

"So…you don't have _any _idea how you could have gotten here?" I began timidly. He shook his head.

"I already told you what I know."

"That being nothing," I mumbled before I could stop myself. I paused, softening my tone. "Think hard. No forgotten experiments? Nothing that would whisk you away in case things got too serious?" It was a legitimate question. Vexen _was _branded as a coward, everyone knew it; fleeing the fight wasn't beneath him. Though his face turned a bit red, obviously offended, he shook his head again.

"Most certainly not."

Aki reappeared juggling three glasses of milk, and something cradled under her arm. I had never been more relieved to see her. She handed one glass to both of us and sat back down, gulping down her drink. Vexen and I wouldn't meet each others' eyes. Neither reached for our glass.

"So," she started, pulling out her mystery item, "remember what I said earlier about you being a video game?" The cartridge was Re: Chain of Memories, which I stared at with wide, unbelieving eyes. She slid it across the table before I could say anything.

I scooped it up and held it close for inspection. "I, in fact, do remember you saying that." As he looked at the cover, his icy expression was very hard to read. There was definitely surprise there, though. And confusion. A dash of fury, perhaps. My apprehension grew.

"See, in _our _world you guys are a part of a video game called _Kingdom Hearts_," she explained, continuing to gulp down her drink nonchalantly. Her upper lip was white. "It's an interactive game that chronicles the events of Sora and his Keyblade. _That _game happens to contain Sora and Riku's time at Castle Oblivion. Chain of Memories, get it?" She smiled.

Now it was Vexen's turn to be completely incredulous. The defensiveness was present again. "That is preposterous. Who would ever be able to record Castle Oblivion? It was a secret location."

I jumped it. "Well, plain and simple, you guys are just a fantasy. Sora, Mickey, Xemnas—you guys aren't real to us. It's _fantasy._" _That's why I was so freaked out, don't you get it_? "All of the games, six in total, described the events from the birth of Ventus to Sora's defeat of Xemnas."

Now he was getting angry. Sure, I'd be infuriated if someone made a game out of my life, especially my death.

"All right then," he suddenly snapped. "_Prove it_."

I blinked.

_Prove what? That I've played the game_? _Wha—?_

To my surprise, my mind drew up a complete blank.

_Errr...twenty questions?_

After a few seconds of thought, I began thinking that if perhaps I could name all of the Organization members that'd be fine, but Aki suddenly leaned over and whispered something into my ear. I narrowed my eyes.

"You sure?" I asked softly. She nodded. Figuring it was much more solid, if not less under-the-belt than what I had, we both turned to Vexen and I said in my most horrible impression of Axel, "I came to stop you from talking too much by eliminating your existence_."_

His expression clouded with apparent confusion, and guilt welled up inside me. "We are just Nobodies who have…have no one to be yet we still are," I continued, watching the dawning paleness of Vexen's face. I struggled, trying to remember all of the words."But now you…now you can be…"

Aki leaned forward. "Now you can be nothing, instead of just being a Nobody. You're off the hook_."_

I've never seen someone look as sick as Vexen did right then, and my nausea grew even worse.

"Goodbye," I finished.

What a joke.

"Okay," he murmured in a weak voice. I could see him trembling. "You've proven your point. I have been…been eliminated…" He looked even worse than I felt, and I swallowed the bile rising in the back of my throat. Holding up the game case, his eyes narrowed considerably. "Why are you telling my all of this?"

"So you know just what the hell is going on!" I snapped vehemently, my anger and confusion rising up in a violent wave. He flinched back from my rising anger. "Those games came out _years_ ago, and _now _suddenly we have a dead guy showing up in our living room, in a near coma nonetheless? Why are you alive? Why is it _our_ house? Will everyone else show up? Why is this happening _now_?"

"Everyone _else_?" Vexen screeched.

"Oh, do you think they will?" Aki asked curiously, her milk half-empty.

"I don't see why not." Just saying it made me feel even sicker. What if they all _did _show up? Would they try to hurt us? God forbid, would they even attempt to kill us?

It was enough to drive any person crazy, but luckily I had already had my dose of insanity that day. It didn't stop a rip-roaring headache, though. I sunk deeper into my chair, covering my eyes. "I didn't sign up for this…"

A moment passed before Aki asked in a small voice,"What are we going to do about it, then?" Her drink was now completely consumed, and I was sure that mine was now too warm to enjoy properly. Tiny tortures.

"What _can _we do?" I murmured, feeling my mind running a million miles an hour. I took a few seconds, breathing deeply, focusing on suppressing the headache. "It's not like we can plug up the hole in the space-time continuum."

Once again all of us descended into a thick silence, so thick that you couldn't cut through it with a hot knife. A constricting feeling was building up in my chest, and I clasped a hand over my beating heart. _No way, I'm too young to have a heart attack…not yet at least… _"I just want to enjoy my summer vacation."

Aki's eyes were distant and forlorn. "Well, I say we just take it one day at a time till we figure this mess out. _Some_one probably knows what's going on; I'm sure this'll all by sorted out by SummerFest." Brightening, she smiled. "Don't worry, Vex, we'll have you home in no time."

Vexen was silent.

_Take it one day at a time. _

_Meaning there was nothing we could do._

Sighing, I stood. "I'll put the dishes away, then."

**~*O*~**

After the dining room and kitchen was clean, Vexen seemed intent on staying as far away from me as possible, rather content with pilfering our house. It was a mutual benefit; I wasn't enthralled by the idea of making small talk with him, anyway.

Aki and I both retreated to the living room, slumping on the couch. I was quiet, eyes unfocused as I tried to think of anything other than our current predicament. My sister had descended into a silent state of thought. Her brow was knitted, and a frown puckered her lips. It reminded me of the face someone would make when they were trying to remember a dream. Guilt squirmed in my chest. _This must be so hard for her, and what have I done? Nearly had a mental breakdown. God, but I'm pathetic._

"Hey, don't worry about it." I looped my arms around her shoulders and hugged her close, smirking. "I'll protect you from the evil ruffians." She giggled and looked up at me with mischievous eyes. I sobered slightly. "How are you feeling about all this anyway?"

She frowned, and looked shyly down at her hands. "Well, I guess…a part of me is all like—_wow, Organization XIII in my house?_" Her eyes grew wide and saucer-like, her cheeks almost crimson. Then her voice took a change in tone, and her earlier expression returned, as if though she was trying to remember something. "But, I mean…another part's saying just how unnatural and…weird it is."

"Heh, don't even fret," I murmured. _Eleven year olds shouldn't have to worry about things like this. Hell, people in general shouldn't have to worry about things like this. _ "I'll keep all those bad men in line."

"Oh yeah?" Her eyes twinkled mischievousness. "You know, Zexion is probably go show up _real_ soon, too," she murmured, wiggling her eyebrows. "What are you going to do when _he _gets here?"

My grin slipped a little. _They might try to kill us, or worse..._"I'd rather not think about it, honestly. What would you do? If they show up anyway."

She hesitated for a moment, then said excitingly, "Oh, that's _easy_. Take them to the beach!"

_Wha— The beach?! Can't I count on you to not be random for one day, Aki?!_

I was about to ask her what had prompted such an answer when Vexen suddenly appeared in the hallway. His expression was cautious and very, very white.

_Well, that certainly isn't a good sign._

"You might want to see this," he ordered briskly.

Aki immediately leaped to her feet and ran into the hallway. Much more cautious, and far more apprehensive, I slowly trailed after her. Vexen came up right behind me, his expression seeming to grow worse the closer I got. Before I could even form any ideas of what had happened, we already reached the scene of Vexen's troubles.

There, sprawled pathetically on the staircase leading up to the second floor, was a comatose Larxene. I heard Aki gasp and I think I did too, but didn't really register it.

It was for the first time that day that I realized I was totally, and undoubtedly, screwed.

**~*O*~**

I guess I forgot to mention this ficlet is pretty cliff-hanger heavy, isn't it...?

.

**Comment Question of the Day:**

****Do you think that Vexen's right to be so paranoid, or is he just a lousy coward?

or

How do you cope with stress?

.

Leave a review~! :D

~DM-sama


	3. They're Coming to Take Me Away, HaHa

**~*They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Ha*~**

The way that she was sprawled on the staircase made me more convinced that she was deader than funky Fridays. Her limps stuck out at odd angles, looking frightfully broken and causing me to grow nauseous just looking at it. She was entirely passed out. Like Vexen before her all color seemed to have been drained from her cheeks, creating a ghostlike effect.

It strangely reminded me of Snow White.

The thing that was most horrible about the whole ordeal was her _eyes_. From the way she was slumped down the staircase caused her glazed, unseeing eyes to peel open just slightly in an eerie half-lidded gaze that was directed _right_ at me.

Vexen scoffed, clearly not as disturbed as I was. "I really shouldn't be surprised they killed her, as well." I shot him a glare, still painfully aware of her glassy eyes trained on me.

"No one asked for your opinion Vexen," I snapped. Now wasn't the time for pettiness, even if the person on the receiving end of it was one of the people who had conspired to kill you. I made a mental note to remember that when Marluxia and Axel showed up. _God, they're all actually coming…_"Now help me move her over to the living room."

"_What_?"

My glare sharpened. "You heard me!" I turned towards my younger sister. "Aki, go get some more orange juice; it worked the first time." She left with naught more than a nod, leaving a flustered Vexen in her wake.

Moving forward I impatiently gestured him to her. Vexen wrinkled his nose in distaste, but otherwise complied and wrapped his arms around her torso, sporting an ugly look on his face.

_One!Two!Three!_

We heaved her up clumsily process carried her down the stairs and to the living room. We practically threw her dead weight onto the couch. Just as Aki returned with a fresh glass of orange juice, I knelt down closer to her. "Hey, Larxene? Can you hear me?" I patted her cheek, hesitated, than placed a hand across her forehead. She was abnormally cold. "Larx?"

Her eyes began fluttering open and her breathing hitched. With some more help from Vexen we managed to push her into a sitting position. Aki gave me the glass and I held it just under her nose. "Larxene," I said, trying to keep my hand steady, "drink some of this. It's orange juice. It'll help you to feel better." She blearily tried to focus on me and the cup. Figuring it was a good sign that she hadn't attacked me yet I leaned in closer and held the glass against her bottom lip.

A few moments passed before Larxene finally parted her lips and accepted the drink without protest. She greedily gulped it down, some of it spilling down her chin. Just like Vexen the parlor quickly returned to her cheeks, making me wonder if this was some sort of magical, revitalizing drink. _Those guys must be making millions_, I thought. She then snatched the cup out of my hands. I flinched back just as she slurped down the last of it.

"I want more," she growled darkly, almost throwing the empty cup back at me. Her gaze was sightless and cloudy. Aki took the cup and ran back into the kitchen; meanwhile I incredulously stared at our newest guest.

"Larxene?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from quavering.

"Stop saying my name," she snarled at me. "The sound of your voice irks me."

Oh, well, in that case.

"Sorry, princess," I said bitingly. She shot me a terrible glare, and then seemingly forgot about my existence as she turned towards Vexen. Her shoulders loosened, her gaze grew less tense, and she slouched into the couch. Her grin slowly widened.

"Well, well Vexie, we should've known you'd find some hidey-hole to tuck yourself away in," she sighed.

_Yes, welcome to Hotel Hidey-Hole_, I thought wryly. Vexen, his haughtiness from earlier gone, seemed unable to respond, looking like he was going to sick up in a moment. Clearly he was just as unhappy about the reunion as I was.

Aki trotted back with a refilled glass, and complaisantly handed it to her. After completely downing the drink for a second time, Larxene casually studied the glass with a vague interest. No one spoke, waiting for her next move. She smacked her lips.

"What was that?"

"It was orange juice," I said.

Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Well, it was gross."

"You seemed to like it twelve seconds ago," I growled with a curled lip. She sneered at me and, quite suddenly, flung the glass at the adjacent wall where it shattered on impact. Aki gasped. My eyes widened, a simmering fury coiling inside my chest. Larxene stretched out and nestled deeper into the couch; looking completely at ease.

"So, Vexie, where have you taken us this time?" she murmured with closed eyes as if though she was preparing to take a nap. I was trembling with rage.

_Patience, patience, she could electrocute you, patience, patience…_

Vexen seemed to be having a lousier time with it than I was. "I…had nothing to do with…" he murmured, face slightly green. "I didn't bring us here, Number XII."

Her green eyes scanned the living room, expression contorted in a scowl. "Hmph." I braced myself for her sure to be foul comment. _Patience, patience, patience…_"Well, it's a complete dump either way."

I bit my cheek so hard I think I tasted blood in my mouth.

Lurching to my feet, placing my iron will to the test trying to _not _throttle her, I hissed scornfully to Vexen, "Tell her _exactly _what's happened and what's going on. I'll be in my room." I grabbed Aki's wrist and dragged her over to the staircase, ignoring Larxene's simmering glare.

Upon reaching the second floor, I shoved Aki into her room (ignoring her whining complaints) and told her to get dressed and freshen up. "Don't think I won't know if you brushed your teeth or not," I scorned. Her pout was heavy and her eyes were big, but I slammed the door before she could say anything.

I retreated to my own room, preparing to change out of the loathed bathroom and into something more presentable. If was going to greet thirteen Nobodies who would probably attack me on sight, I wanted to look my best.

**~*O*~**

I hid up in my room for maybe an hour; too afraid to go back downstairs and face my own personal nightmares. It was cowardly, I knew it, but when the clock finally beeped, _1:00 PM _flashing on the clock, I figured I'd given myself plenty of time.

When I walked back downstairs, teeth brush and hair combed and the like, I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting. I was definitely expecting something to be broken, whether it be a vase or Vexen's femur bone. However, when I reentered the living room (attired a comfortable t-shirt and jeans) I was surprised to see that everything seemingly remained intact. _Well, Vexen's still upright, at least_.

Indeed, the scientist was seated at the edge of our La-Z-boy chair, looking intently down at the silent Larxene. I distantly heard some disturbance in the kitchen and a second later Aki trotted out the swinging door, her brow furrowed in thought. She approached me with a pointed look. "She looks hungry….I could always make another waffle for her if she was hungry, but she isn't talking at all."

_She's not even eating? But she must be starving._

Feeling a lot more confident with fresh clothes and clean teeth, I walked around the couch and paused. "Hey? Larxene?" I started, trying to sound soothing. It was terrible. "Hey, Aki wants to make you something to eat. You hungry?"

"No."

With a jolt of surprise I realized that she sounded not a second away from crying. Oh yeah, there was plenty of seething fury in her voice, but for some reason she couldn't hide the quavering lip or her watery eyes. This most certainly wasn't the reaction I was expecting from the Savage Nymph. Accentuate on _savage_.

"She'll eat when she's ready, I guess," Aki said. Her voice was soothing, much better than my own attempt, which reminded me of rocks on gravel. It roused Larxene for the most part.

She took a light, shaky breath, trying to collect herself. She wouldn't meet our eyes. "So… Everyone at C.O.…they all hit the bucket, right?"

I hesitated, biting my lip. "Yes."

"Even…Marluxia and Axel?"

"Well, Axel managed...well, yes, they both didn't make it."

Larxene unconsciously cringed and raked an aggravated hand through her slicked hair. "God, we were all idiots…_actually _trying to take on that wretched Xemnas…"

_Okay, okay, no need to fret, she's just a little freaked, _I thought, quickly growing panicked. Where was the lightning? The heated fury? A punch to the nose I could handle, maybe, but crying? _Aaaah, no._

"Oh, you guys probably would've been able to pull it off," Aki said comfortingly. I shot her a look.

"Yeah," I said slowly. "I guess Sora's emotions were just too unpredictable for you guys. What a shame."

"B—but it's not like it's a complete loss," said Aki quickly. "Marluxia _does _get here way before Saïx or Xemnas because of it. Maybe you can perform a hostile takeover and rule the Organization before they even show up."

_Whoa, sister, where are you going with that?_

I snapped over to her. "Don't give her any _ideas_, you little cretin," I barked, unaware of Larxene's trembling.

"I'm _just _trying to be supportive."

"_No, _you're being a pain!"

"_Shut up, SHUT UP!_"

I didn't have any time to react. By the time I registered what was happening the woman had seized my shoulders and glared at me with infuriated passion. "_I want to go back, RIGHT NOW!_"

Aki screamed and danced away as Larxene propelled me into the wall unit, her fists tightening. My back stinging from the splintering wood, my brain went into an automatic lockdown mode. I could feel tiny shocks of electricity shiver down my limbs as I struggled to stay clam.

_She's hysterical, don't do anything that might frighten her._

_Play dead._

"_Send me back! SEND ME BACK!" _she continued to roar, nearly giving me whiplash as she thrust me into the unit again. This time it _really _hurt. I could feel bile rising in my throat. "_I am not dead! SEND ME BACK!_"

"We _can't_," I heard Aki cry out, tears in her voice. I gestured for her to remain silent. My plan was to let Larxene burn herself out. She's only been awake for an hour; she can't have much energy to begin with. _No sudden movements._

Her whole body suddenly froze up. Her grip was stone-like as she continued to glare at me, animalistic fury shining in her eyes. There was the tiniest hint of fear and desperation; though it was so small it brought little comfort. Moving slowly, trying my best not to startle her, I lifted my hands and began trying to pry off her fingers

"We can't send you back, Larxene," I said in an eerily calm tone. Her reaction was almost instant, the sudden rage melted away to a look of pure desperation. "At least not yet."

Her face grew even paler as my words finally sunk in. The water pooling in her eyes began to overflow. Suddenly, she jerked up her arm.

I flinched and shut my eyes, a stupid, pointless reaction, but I couldn't help it.

_CRUNCH!_

I let out a choked sob, the right side of my face feeling a premature stinging. Miraculously, nothing was broken; or even injured. She had missed me, by perhaps half an inch, and had punched a brutal-looking hole into the wooden wall unit. I wait in baited breath, my heart racing, feeling her fingernails digging into my shoulder.

Suddenly, she shattered. Releasing a half-choked, desperate sob, Larxene sunk onto the floor, burying her face in her hands, wailing.

"_God, Marluxia_," she cried, just barely coherent. "_Y—you're such an idiot!"_

Those were the last words she cried that we could even begin to understand.

**~*O*~**

Hours passed.

Eventually the girl grew too exhausted to cry. Huddled up on the couch, wearing an emotionless mask of cracked control, she stared sightlessly at the flickering television set. Aki suggested we turn it on, hoping perhaps it would take Larxene's mind off things or at least pique her interest. _Special Victims Unit _currently rolling across the screen.

After a few hours Aki seemingly thought it was safe enough to approach her, sitting next to her on the couch. She even whipped up one of those golden waffles and tried to coax Larxene to take a bite. It took fifteen solid minutes, but to my surprise she actually let Aki spoon feed her.

Hell had surely frozen over at this point.

Once I cleaned up the shattered orange juice glass, and awkwardly stared at the broken wall unit (_sure, no one will notice_), I watched as Aki walked into the kitchen with the syrupy plate, humming something that sounded suspiciously like _Simple and Clean_.

I sincerely hoped that she would one day grow up to be a nurse; if only she didn't grow squeamish at the sight of blood.

I looked up at the electronic clock, startled to see that it was already six. Six hours since Larxene first appeared, and at least ten since we stumbled across Vexen this morning. Ten hours, and I still hadn't a clue of what we were going to do about this mess. And who could I confide my silent worries in? Vexen was hardly a person I could trust, and Larxene was less than useless in her current state of mind. I didn't want to involve Aki anymore than I should.

I was all alone.

Feeling constrained, I took a seat on the edge of the recliner chair next to the couch , fixating my attention on the television.

After about five minutes, Larxene murmured, "Cute kid."

So wrapped up in my own little world, I had barely registered her words. I looked up, my brow furrowed. "Who, Aki?"

"No, the family ghost," she growled, glaring at me. I looked down at my hands.

_Okay, I deserved that_.

"Yeah, she's the only reason I haven't gone completely insane," I laughed.

"Why would _you _go insane?" she continued to murmur. I had to lean in closer in order to hear. "You haven't been told that you're dead."

I cringed.

"That's true. Yet you aren't the one that has to house thirteen evil criminals who might very well try to kill you on a whim, meanwhile having to make sure your little sister keep her nose out of things."

It was quiet for a few more seconds. I picked at my cuticles, wondering how long it would be before the next Nobody would show up. _Marluxia was soon, wasn't he? And then Zexion..._ I bit my lip. Suddenly, she lurched to her feet. "Is there anywhere I can change out of this?"

"Change out of what?"

"_This_, princess," she snapped, patting the folds of her coat.

I paused, trying not to wonder too much about the oddity of the request. "I guess...the bathroom is down the hall, to the left. I have some extra clothes in my old bedroom…"

She had long since lost interest in me. "Where?"

"Upstairs. Second on your right."

She left with naught but a fairly dramatic roll of the eyes. As she disappeared down the hall, I released a puff of air I didn't realize I was holding and slumped into my chair.

God, but was that woman psychotic. Just the memory of the electricity crawling up and down my body was enough to make me want to curl up into the recliner chair until I became one with the fabric. If I had to keep up this charade of a fearless innkeeper 24/7 to keep these Nobodies off my back, I was going to be reduced to a shivering ball of insanity.

I heard the kitchen door swing open, and saw my little sister walk out. "Hey, D," she cried, skipping towards me.

Pulling myself together, I grinned. "What a piece of work she is," I murmured, my voice whispery. I was fairly tired though, and with good reason.

She took a seat on the armrest of the recliner, her lips pursed. "Sheesh, you look like crap."

I sent her a glare, both mixed with exasperated amusement and incredulity, a sort of _No Shit, Sherlock_. "Always one to be mindful of my feelings." Aki smiled. Sometime along this crazy adventure I'd have to ask her how she'd managed to keep her cool like this for so long, while I had been an utter mess. It hurt, really, that my little sister was doing such a better job at keeping in control than I was.

"Hey," she started, patting my shoulder. I looked up in to her glimmering eyes, which were shining with sincerity and love. "You're doing a great job, D. Those Nobodies don't stand a chance against you; have some faith in yourself, you know?"

"I'll do my best," I said, forcing a confident smirk onto my face.

My best was really all I could give, but would it be enough was the question.

Shaking her off I made a big show of yawning and announcing how I was off to bed. As I made my way over to the stairs, I passed by Larxene, and nearly snapped my neck in a double-take. In the time it took for me to almost have another breakdown, she had changed out of her Organization uniform and put on a pair of my old blue sweatpants and a white t-shirt; no shoes either. Her toenails were painted red, slightly chipped.

Whether or not I was more surprised that she had changed out of the trademark Nobody attire, or that she was wearing something so _un_-slutty, which I sheepishly admitted I had been expecting, that was up to debate. My face was slack as I openly stared. She glared fiercely at me.

"_What_? It's _comfortable_," she snapped. "I don't have to dress like those rotten stiffs anymore, right?" I merely shrugged and nodded. She strutted away, bumping right into my shoulder. _Yup, definitely back to her old self._

As I began my trek upstairs, I heard her ask in a demanding tone, "Hey, Ki-ki, what was the name of that crime thing I was watching?"

"Law & Order?"

"Yeah, that. Put it back on."

_She just called my little sister Ki-ki. _I shook my head in amazement. _That's adorable._

_Vexen, and Larxene. Both of them in the same day._

How long would it be before I stood face to face with Xemnas himself? A week? A month? Tomorrow?

Assuming I was still alive by then, of course.

Shivering, I tried not to think about it as I made my way upstairs.

**~*O*~**

.

**Comment Question of the Day:**

Have you ever had that one person in your life that you just can't stand?

.

Leave a review! =^.^=

~DM-sama


	4. Treat Me Like You Would Treat A Dog

**~*Treat Me Like You Would Treat A Dog*~**

I was barraged with another equally weird and mind-boggling dream that night, something that involved swimming. It was nauseating and a queasy feeling settled in my stomach. The dizziness followed me into the waking world, where I realized that someone was shaking me awake.

I groaned and tried to throw of my provoker, only registering the fact that the sun wasn't up yet and thus it was too _freaking early_. For one fearful second, however, I thought I had overslept, that I was missing school as we spoke. Adrenaline shot through me as I snapped my head up and stared at the clock, my eyes taking about five minutes to adjust to the darkness.

Nope, five thirty-six.

I dropped my head into the pillow. _Uuugh, I hate everything happy in life._

The provoker was still rattling me, steadily worsening my already foul mood.

"Someone had better be dying," I grumbled, doing my best to curl deeper into the soft, warm sheets. I heard a girlish giggle, and blearily saw Aki staring down at me, looking amused.

"Not exactly," she whispered, still feeling it necessary to shake me silly."The others think that you should come down though."

I forcefully rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Aki waited patiently as I slowly woke myself up. When I finally managed to throw back the sheets she said pleasantly, "Everyone's in the kitchen; they wanted to talk to you."

"Why is everyone _up _so early?" I scathed, more concerned with the time of day than anything those hooligans had to say to me.

She shrugged. "Hmm, special circumstances." For some reason she looked a little odd. I didn't think much of it. "I'll wait for you in the living room, sis. Larxene's extra grouchy in the morning, though, I should warn you."

"It's to be expected."

Aki smiled and left the room, leaving me all alone in the dark. Taking a good long stretch, I groggily slid off the bed, barely able to make my legs function properly. I just slumped onto the floor, blithely considering if I should just crawl down the stairs. It was daunting to think about. I didn't even want to imagine walking to the bathroom if only to brush my hair.

Instead I plucked up a stray ponytail and tied up my hair, nearly pulling the skin off my forehead. Stretching once more for good measure I finally ventured out into the dark hallway, shivering as my bare feet connected with the chilly tiled floor._  
_

By the time I reached downstairs I'd already completely forgotten what I was doing. _Am I sleepwalking again? Where's my bed?_ _Wait, where did Aki go? Is she even real? _

Suddenly my little sister appeared out of the darkness like a spooky phantom, scaring me out of oblivion "Wow, you looked _wrecked_," she snickered.

"M' tired. Wh'r's ev'ry'one?" My tongue felt like a fuzzy slipper and tasted much less pleasant.

Her face tightened for a second, but, again, I didn't really notice. "Kitchen, like I said."

It took perhaps ten seconds for her statement to actually register, but my reaction was fairly swift. Turning heel, I stormed off towards the kitchen door, feeling like steam was blowing out my ears.

"Oh, wait, D! There's something that you should _probably _know—"

"Would it have something to do with Nobodies and their ungodly sleeping patterns?"

I threw open the door. Snapping my mouth open, preparing to give what would be the most gruesome scolding of these Nobodies' life, I paused. Even in my sleep deprived state, I could tell something had changed.

Well, there was Vexen and Larxene, looking like hell so early in the morning. My kitchen; nice and clean. Me, still feeling enraged. Aki, cautious. _There's something different here, though… oh, just what could it be? _

For one stupid second I thought it was Arnold Schwarzenegger. Then I realized it was just Lexaeus. Which was just as bad.

"Oh, yeah, didn't I tell you?" Aki peeked out around my elbow, sounding particularly sheepish. "Lexaeus just popped up. We found him this morning passed out in the hall, well, _I _found him, but that was—"

Before anyone could react to my sudden appearance, I quickly backed out of the kitchen, dragging little Aki with me, with a fierce blush brightening my cheeks. _Humiliating myself in five minutes at five in the morning? Surely a new record on my part._ I whirled around towards her with an ugly look. I was now completely awake, rage seeping out of my pores.

"And _when _were you planning to tell me that that monster was here?!" I cried out.

Her face was bright red. "I was hoping to keep him a surprise."

"Surprise?! _It's five thirty in the morning_."

She had the decency to look slightly ashamed of herself. It curbed my poisonous anger, but only just. "We only found him a little bit ago. I was waking up to go to the bathroom when I practically tripped over him in the hallway. He only just regained full consciousness."

"And you didn't think to wake me up?!" I hissed.

"I figured you could've used the extra sleep," she finished softly. "Vexen and Larxene didn't want to go on without you, though..."

I paused, and all of my irrational anger left me. Shame welled up in its place.

"If you two are _quite _finished." I flinched back in surprise when an aggravated Vexen popped his head out the door. He looked as irritated as I felt. "You do realize that this door isn't sound proof, right?"

My already red face only grew brighter. I hadn't realized how loud I had gotten.

"Stop acting like a temperamental child, we're all very tired," he continued to mumble. He disappeared back into the kitchen, and I sheepishly followed after, Aki trailing behind me. The beast was still standing there, fixing his cool gaze to me as I timidly strolled in. His crystal blue eyes were cool and aloof, and my mind went blank.

He was just so _big._

"Umm..." I lifted one shaky hand. "Hello?"

He didn't say anything. His expression was indifferent, yet slightly amused, as if he were watching a mentally incapacitated puppy. I felt like the world's biggest idiot right then. My face was a tomato at that point. _Urgh, it's just too early for this nonsense!_

Breaking away from the hold of my sister I walked over to the kitchen sink and started the facet, trying to make the water as cold as possible before gently splashing my drooping eyelids. If anything it just made my eyes burn more, making me want to curl up on the counter. Shaking myself, I plugged up the water drain and waited for the sink to fill up.

Before any of them could say anything or guess what I was doing, I pulled my hair back behind my neck and dunked my head into the freezing water, staying under there until red spots blotched under my eyes and my lungs felt like they were being squeezed. I reemerged with a sharp gasp, hearing a distant buzzing in my ears. I was now awake and alert.

I sighed.

_Much better._

**~*O*~**

After toweling out my dampened hair, I reemerged in the living room to talk with our newest guest. Vexen and Larxene had already begun enlightening No. IV to the special conditions of his arrival. They actually didn't do too bad of a job, considering what information we had about the whole mess, that being nothing.

Even still, I hadn't a clue how Lexaeus felt about this whole mess. While Vexen had been ready to pass out and Larxene had attempted to kill me, the Silent Hero was...well, silent. Throughout the whole seminar he kept up the same look of arched eyebrows and a contorted frown. Never once did he speak or interrupt. I couldn't tell whether or not he was even listening.

When everything was said and done, a lingering silence followed suit. I waited for his response, nervously wringing out my hair.

Nothing. Not even a nose twitch. It was like he had transformed into a stone solemn statue.

I took a seat at the very edge of the couch, putting on my best smile which was slightly twisted. He didn't look at me.

"Hey. There are worse fates then spending your afterlife in my house." My lips twitched, suppressing a chuckle. "I can whip up one hell of pudding cup, you know."

Silence. His eyes were withdrawn and distant. My grin slowly slipped.

Licking my lips, I tried again. "It sure isn't a castle, but we certainly have enough room for everyone." I frowned, not fond for the idea of planning future sleeping arrangements. _They're big boys, they can figure that out for themselves. _"Well, we have enough sleeping bags at least." He still wouldn't say anything. He wouldn't even look at me, fixating his gaze to his clasped hands. I ground my teeth, frustrations mounting. "It certainly won't help anybody with you just being all quiet like that. How're we supposed to know how to—how to take care of you or—"

I hesitated.

He had moved. He was staring at me. Not just at me, but _through _me. I felt like he was trying to read my mind.

"Has Zexion perished as well?"

"I..." Something cold slithered down my spine, and I shivered, cradling my arms. He noticed. _Nothing got past those eyes. _I looked away."...yes, he died, too. They all did. But not forever, at least; if that's any consolation."

He didn't even seem to notice my less than encouraging speech, but I noticed the subtle, barely existent movement of his broad shoulders as they sagged down. Rather than the contemplative statue he was a perfect picture of defeat. The sickly feeling got worse. "Hey, it's not like it's your fault—"

And then, quite suddenly, he lurched to his feet, towering over me. I jumped back, heart pattering wildly in my chest. Now he looked mad.

Though sounding gentle, it was nothing short of a demand. "Then whose fault is it?"

"It's…well, I—"

_SPOILER ALERT! Shut your mouth, D!_

I took a shuddering breath, craning my neck in order to meet his fierce gaze. "It was awful what happened, Lexaeus," I said slowly, trying to avoid slipping up. "But what's done is done; we can't waste energy pointing fingers. Besides," I added, hoping to cheer him up, "he's not gone for good, they'll all be here eventually."

He scoffed, looking decidedly unimpressed. "Yes and when that flower child gets here…" He trailed off, hinting he was thinking very dark thoughts indeed. Slumping back onto the couch he brought a hand to his temple, shielding his eyes from view. He let out a drawn out sigh, and all at once he looked tired, beaten, and sad. "He didn't deserve his fate."

He was talking about Zexion again, or even little Ienzo.

"Life sucks," I sympathized.

**~*O*~**

Lexaeus retreated into his motionless statue phase again after that, and I haven't heard a squeak out of him since. The other two Nobodies seemed pretty reluctant to go anywhere near him, preferring to lounge about as far away as possible without seeming too blunt. I guess he wasn't the most popular of the members. It made me feel more than a bit guilty. _Oh, don't you worry, he'll have company soon enough. Zexion's just around the corner._

Of course, that just made me worry more. _And now Marluxia must be up next…oh boy…_

The day went from bad to worse when Larxene began pilfering my kitchen in search of breakfast. Hours had passed since I had been rudely awakened and the sun was high in the sky. Aki and I had been lounging about in the adjacent dining hall, discussing topics that ranged from school to the upcoming beach trip, when we suddenly heard her groan. A moment later a disgruntled Nobody came bursting through the door, hand on hip, glaring.

"How come you guys are completely out of food?"

I was so taken aback it took a few seconds to register her question. "We aren't out of food," I snapped. I glanced over to Aki for conformation, in which she just shrugged.

"Well, we're pretty low on orange juice, maybe one glass left. And eggs, I think. Milk...maybe, I don't know." She grew quiet under my glare.

Larxene audibly sniffed. "All I know is is that I'm _starving _and there isn't anything to eat. _You_," she pointed at me. "Go out and buy us some food."

"My name is _Dianna_," I said pointedly, but she had already stormed off. I sucked on my teeth, affronted. "Just my luck _she_ had to die so quickly. We have to deal with her longer now."

Aki sniggered, and I shot her a glare. She shrugged. "We need food anyway, right?"

I pursed my lips, glaring at my hands. "Yeah...but that doesn't mean I like being bossed around like a shih tzu."

"C'mon," she stood up, repressing a giggle, "I'll help you make a list. There's this cheesecake recipe I want Vexen to try out and we're missing some ingredients."

"Vexen? Cheesecake?"

"Yeah!" She smiled brightly. "I think he'd make a great chef; it'd give him something to do, anyway."

Processing her words slowly, I stood and followed her into the kitchen. Grabbing a notepad and pen, I began meticulously jotting down the foods and spices we needed as Aki began taking inventory. _Chef Vexen? How __bizarre. _I shook my head, writing out the final item (spaghetti sauce) before tucking the notepad away. _Never question Aki's motives, it'll only confuse you. _

By the time I took a shower and threw on some clean clothes it was already half past ten. In the time it took for me to trot downstairs, Larxene was lounging on the couch and Vexen was nowhere to be seen. I hadn't heard a peep from Lexaeus in hours, though I wasn't worried.

I made a beeline for the door, hoping to get this over with as fast as possible, but Larxene's eyes were sharp. "Oh, so you're going now? Good. Be sure to pick up some blueberries."

"I—" I hastily held my tongue, merely nodding and meekly writing down her request. _Urgh, I hate blueberries. _

"And princess?" I turned around, biting my cheek. She was smiling brazenly at me. "Get some pretzel sticks while you're at it."

___Here, Dianna! Sit, Dianna! _Roll over, Dianna!

Tongue in cheek, I jerked my head and slammed the door behind me.

**~*O*~**

The trip to the market was uneventful. The parking lot was nearly empty that day and only two cashier's were to be seen. Picking out the groceries was even more uneventful, the most exciting aspect being whether or not I should buy an aluminum baseball bat. I spent five solid minutes wondering before deciding otherwise, figuring I was in enough trouble with my house guests as it was.

The only part of the trip that was really worth remembering was when I approached the checkout counter. A warm, familiar face greeted me.

"I figured you'd be at home partying, Lisa," I commented in a friendly tone, heaving up the gallon of orange onto the counter. The Becker twin smiled mysteriously as she began to checkout my food. Her hair was nice and neat, glasses reflecting the fluorescent lighting. It was the complete opposite of her eccentric brother.

"I figured you'd be hibernating in that hovel of yours, D. Again."

I shrugged, overjoyed to be talking with some who wasn't completely insane. "I needed some air."

"I'll bet. You find everything you were looking for? How's you summer going so far?"

My smile became strained. "Oh, you know..."

Lisa grimaced, as if though she really _did _know. "That sister of yours acting up again?"

"It's, umm...a friend from out of town, actually," I improvised. Lisa didn't seem to notice my hesitation.

"Sammy's been almost impossible, trying to get to every party our neighbors have been throwing. Can't get anything done with that blasted brother of mine..." She shook her head and sighed, obviously overworked.

I shrugged, sympathetic of the twin's dilemma. The Becker girl was always someone who was easy to talk to, a vast contrast to her brother, who could drain you of energy faster than an outlet plug. "Well, once SummerFest has come and gone things should calm down."

"Yes, until YommaKon, anyway." Her ringing began to grow aggressive, eyes narrowed, mumbling, "A bunch of out of town prats dressed like fools...can't wait."

Once all the groceries have been rung up and paid for, Lisa handed me the paper bags, smiling politely. "Stay sharp, D. Don't let this friend of yours push you around too much, kay?"

My heart pattered. I had hoped the grocery bags would cover up my sudden grimace, but the Becker twin's eyes were sharper than glass. I cleared my throat. "Uh, yeah, don't worry about it."

I quickly scurried out into the parking lot before she grew too suspicious.

**~*O*~**

Overall the excursion lasted about an hour. Juggling the weighing paper bag in my hands, all filled with the food for my gracious guests, I focused heavily on the treacherous cracks scattered in the driveway, trying to resist thinking.

I had begun wondering just what else I would have to do in order to keep the frustrations of the Nobodies at bay. Getting food was good and all, but how long before I would have to begin, say, polish their shoes for them? Give them haircuts? Clean the fireplace?

_Oh yes, that's what this is. You're just a run of the mill Cinderella, aren't you?_

It may have been my house, and my world overall, but I didn't have the ability to shoot flower laser beams or give someone frost bite. The sheer force of my will could keep them at bay for so long, but what will I do when there's finally too many of them to coercer? What would happen when we were no longer useful?

_Keep a-busy, Cinderelly!_

Struggling to grip the door handle, forcing the worries down, I swept inside and grandly announced, "Okay, I'm back everybody—"

I paused, swallowing my next words whole. A dark, sinking feeling took form in my stomach. It was vaguely reminiscent from what I felt when I walked in to see the hulking Lexaeus in my kitchen. The air was thicker, and tenser. Something was out of place.

Quite suddenly, I found myself face to face with my current nightmare of the hour. At the sound of my arrival, Marluxia turned, and then smiled.

"Welcome back."

Color drained from my face.

_Hello, master. Your most humble servant has returned to you._

**~*O*~**

I'm here! I'm here! No, I'm not dead, thank you!

This chapter was a bit of a toughie, but nonetheless I have completed it! Thanks to all the reviewers! If not for you this chapter would still be deep in production.

.

**Comment Question of the Day:**

Have you ever had to do something you didn't want to in order to keep someone happy?

.

~DM-sama


	5. I Am Alpha, Hear Me Roar!

**~*I Am Alpha, Hear Me Roar!*~**

My first reaction was, I am ashamed to admit, something that went along the lines of, _Huh, his hair is more of a real light tawny brown than actual pink._

Hair color is always something to consider when facing a known psychopath.

Standing face to face with Marluxia in the kitchen, however, was not the way I thought this inevitable meeting would happen. When the surprise wore off, though, that's when I started to panic.

His face was completely devoid of any other expression besides tranquility and quiet politeness. The shock of loose pink hair that draped over his shoulders only accentuated his endearing features. Nothing hinted at alarm. His body language was loose. Calm, relaxed.

It was more disconcerting than Lexaeus completely expressionless façade; Marluxia didn't even look frazzled. In fact, he looked as if he were taking a walk through the park, he was so calm

A strange and quirky feeling melted over me, something that felt very akin to sheer helplessness. I had the distinct, unidentifiable urge to drop to my knees and beg for mercy. _What had I been thinking? Taking on the entire Organization..._

Something stopped me, though.

Shaking off the desperate feelings, I took a closer look.

He's royally pissed off, that much was too obvious. But there was something else in there, some other hidden emotion that I couldn't decipher.

Though I didn't know just what was going on through his head, that strange glint in his eye helped to stave off my crushing desperation. It was calming at least. Clearly, he wasn't as in control as I thought he was.

That's when I knew I still had a chance of reining him in. All I needed to do was keep a level head.

"Hello, Marluxia," I said airily. Trying to shake off the imminent paralysis in my legs, I calmly strolled over to the kitchen and placed the bag of shopping goods on the counter. "When did you get here?"

_When in doubt, pretend that you're not ready to keel over and throw up your stomach acids. _Yes, I think Aristotle quoted that. My first instinct in the face of this bona fide sociopath, however, was to act like I was completely in control of the situation; and that meant _not _puking on his finely polished, slightly scuffed shoes.

"A few minutes ago, actually," he replied, equally nonchalant. His voice was as smooth as a glass of milk. It was unnerving to have to meet his piercing gaze as well, but I firmly held the eye contact. His smile was nothing less than charming. "Quite the, ah, _service _you provide here."

I smiled lightly. "Thank you. We do our best."

His eyes were burning, but I held his gaze, stare for stare. Was he a bit closer than before? I never saw him move.

I gulped thickly, feeling my throat start to close up. "So, M—Marluxia." Hands shaking slightly, I tucked them out of sight behind my back. "If you have any questions for me—"

"Of course I have _questions_," he said suddenly, his tone possessing a bit more of a bite to it. I flinched, cursing myself as I did. Clearly he could sense my rising fear as I could feel his bubbling anger. "It's not often one wakes up in a completely different location than they last remember. Or within the company of a girl they've never met, yet seems to know who they are."

I chuckled before I could stop myself. "Sounds like a night in Vegas."

Marluxia paused, and in the silence I swiftly continued, "We've been expecting you for a while now, as we are the rest of the Organization. Pardon me for not being more surprised, but I figured it best to keep my guard up, so to speak."

He was silent for a beat longer. Then he took a mighty step closer to me. He was only a little bit longer than an arm's length away now.

Or a scythe-length.

I took a shaky breath.

"Expecting me?"

I could see the rage in his eyes slowly spread, tainting the pretty effects of his face. His upper lip curled up into a gruesome smirk, and his eyes narrowed, creating a rather quite ugly effect. Slowly, ever so slowly, his whole expression became enflamed with quiet rage.

Pretty soon my whole upper body was shaking; I was slowly losing my nerves in the face of this monster. It was twelve times worse than when Larxene had had me by the throat, screaming at me about her failed dreams. The worst she could have done was zap me. Sure, my heart would've probably stopped beating, but still, I _knew _what she was capable of.

But that was it, wasn't it?

I didn't know anything.

Yet, at the same time, neither did he.

He knew even less than I did.

"_Dianna!_"

I looked over to the doorway to see Aki standing there, her eyes flitting to the both of us. Her expression was apprehensive, for once acutely aware of the swirling anxiety in the atmosphere. She looked to Marluxia, and tottered nervously. "A—ah, Marluxia, you're awake!"

I straightened, facing her. "Aki, now isn't the best—"

I paused when a bright pink light enflamed my peripheral vision.

I didn't actually see anything, but I heard the swing of something heavy and the _thunk _as it sliced through the counter. Aki's shocked gasp is what really clued me in that something was happening. Before I could even rationalize what had happened, I flattened myself against the curve of the counter and ducked as low as I could go.

In a mesh of colors, I suddenly found the blade of Marluxia's scythe cutting in to the juncture of my neck. I wasn't fast enough to escape entirely, but I very well might have saved my head. The snath had pinned me against the counter, encaging me, the kitchen counter jutting into my back. My mind was buzzing as I stared into his blue eyes, which were white hot with fury, trying to rationalize what the hell just happened. My ears were ringing from the sound of the weapon.

He had tried to attack me.

That…_tramp_.

He snarled at me, much like a rabid dog, though the comparison was frightfully accurate. His eyes were burning with a heady mixture of rage, fear, and seething mortification. It meshed and swirled together, creating a beautiful, demonic red tint in place of his usual gorgeous baby-blue.

My mouth flapped open, trying to find words.

_Escape. Gotta get out of here._

"M—Marluxia, I—"

I sucked in a sharp gasp as the snath pressed deeper into my ribcage, the blade kissing my skin. I had to crouch even lower, feel the coolness of my own blood. My face was pale white with fear.

"_You—"_

Whatever grand evil villain's speech Marluxia had been prepared to dish out was perfectly interpreted by a disturbance over where Aki had been standing. I think she was yelling at him, crying as she did. If I had turned to look I probably would have decapitated myself. Thankfully I really didn't even notice it, outside the fact that Marluxia had looked away to see for himself.

His first and only mistake.

People had begun to shout, but I only concerned myself with getting my hands and fingers working again. The paralysis was slow to wear off. I felt my way across the counter. A trickle of blood slithered its way down my collarbone. Adrenaline shot through me when my fingertips brush the handle of a recently used cooking pan, doing well to shake off the mind-numbing panic.

Again, my mind had no say in what happened next.

The surprise of whatever distraction was apparently wearing off, as the rabid-Marluxia had just begun to redirect his attentions towards me. Before he could react, I slumped down onto the floor, ducked underneath the scythe and, my hands turning white as they clutched onto the frying pan, I swung my entire upper body and cracked the would-be weapon across his head.

He certainly wasn't expecting it.

_CHRAA-ACK!_

With naught but a small yelp, he slumped onto the ground.

The scythe remained stationary, embedded into the kitchen counter. I stared pale-faced down at the crumpled Nobody on the floor.

_People fear nothing more than that of which they do not know._

The pan clattered woefully onto the tile floor.

_And he was terrified._

**~*O*~**

The point where Aki appeared at the foot of the stairwell to me holding a bloody frying pan in the kitchen was slowly becoming a total blur to me, like a floating dream. Aki, the adorable little Oompa Loompa that she was, went on for at least ten minutes about it all, eyes wide with excitement as she went in to extremely acute detail of the events. As I was someone who didn't believe in violence, it was really hard for me to take in that I had been the reason why the flower child was currently on the couch holding an icepack against his head, glaring quite evilly at the ceiling.

Well, now I'll never have to wonder whether or not I could take these guys in a fight.

"Oh, don't even worry about it, he'll be fine," Larxene had said to me, smiling wickedly. "I've done worse to him with just a boot."

I glared at her sulkily as she left me alone in the kitchen.

Now, let's recap.

Apparently, while I had been at the store, Aki had thought it proper to show Vexen around the house a bit more, and both had stumbled across Number XI sprawled and barely conscious in the guest bathroom. They both performed the apparently traditional rout of nourishing the fallen Nobody with the last bit of orange juice we had left, with a little bit extra treatment from the ever so considerate Aki.

After garnering the telltale signs of life, Vexen had gone to go inform the others about Marluxia's arrival, leaving said character within the care of my sister. Aki, however, had left a few moments later, trying to find a phone in an attempt to contact me. With no one to keep an eye on him, Marluxia had wandered off in a disjointed search for answers, and had found me instead.

Happy times.

Neither Larxene nor Lexaeus had known about Marluxia's existence in this house until they had found me pinned against the kitchen counter. Their sudden entrance into the kitchen had been his distraction and ultimately my escape.

After I put away all the groceries, dislodged the protruding scythe, and swept up the flower petals (they apparently follow him everywhere, even across the vortex of space), I walked back into the living room where the party had moved.

It took a few minutes to revive the stricken flower child. Larxene had crudely whipped together a sandwich bag full of ice, wanting to use duck tape and tape it to his head, which I objected to. I was given an embarrassing pink bandage for the nip of my neck where the blade had met. It was a shallow wound, barely a wound at all, but I wasn't prepared to ignore the fact that if the stupid blade had been an inch deeper my whole head would have been sliced off.

Shoving my wounded pacifism aside, I planted myself in the living room foyer and watched as they bandaged up the poor Nobody (from the wounds that _I _inflicted), all the while carrying a sick sense of satisfaction.

To save the others from pain of confusion, I decided to clarify the whole space time jump thing again. This early in the game I figured it would be best to assert myself as much as possible, and make it known that I'm head alpha and all that. Vexen didn't mind, at least, who I think was the only one who understand it enough to reiterate. He seemed pretty content with hiding in the darkness of the stairwell.

Marluxia made no comment, even when I went into detail about his gory defeat at the hands of the Keyblade brat. I knew he was still listening, I could see his jaw twitching spastically. His aura was downright fussy.

In the end, I only felt the slightest bit of sympathy for him. After all, unlike the rest of the C.O. crew, his death was his own damn fault. As I looked into his eyes again, I could see the barest etchings of his earlier rage. All signs of the charming, complaisant Marluxia were gone.

"It's my own stupid fault he got loose, D," Aki moaned, curled up in the little niche of our recliner chair. The entire household was gathered in the living room like a mock trial, with the exception of the cowering Vexen. I could feel Lexaeus' cold presence from behind me. Larxene looked delighted as she sat on the edge of the couch where Marluxia lie. "He was—I just…he was _scared_, D!"

Marluxia said nothing in his defense, but I did see his jaw clench. Clearly my dearest sister wasn't helping bolster his ego.

I shot my sister a look, and she glanced sheepishly at her hands.

"Does the fact that he tried to decapitate me mean nothing to you?"

Aki opened her mouth and then she faltered. Her gaze seemed drawn to the looming scythe that was propped against the wall. It took us precisely five minutes to wedge that thing out of the counter. I hated it. Her face paled even more, but she snapped back over to me. "Well, Larxene tried to punch you earlier, but you kept her here! And you hate her!"

"_Hey!_" Larxene yelped.

Pausing, I shifted my gaze directly to Marluxia, whom remained motionless. "Yes, that's _twice _now my person was threatened by _you people._" I paused, trying to slow down my breathing. Aki groaned in regret. "Larxene comes and has a mental breakdown and attacks me. Now this! How do I know that next time I won't end up having a knife in my gut while I'm sleeping?"

"Is that supposed to imply something?" Larxene piped up again.

I sent her a withering glare. "You didn't exactly make a good first impression."

"Oh come _on, _princess," Larxene bodily rolled her eyes as she lurched up to her feet. Shockingly she looped her arm around my shoulders and playfully poked my chest. "It's like little Ki-ki said, I was on total freak out mode. I didn't even punch you! We're chill now though, aren't we?" she added as she pressed me closer, a pleasant smile curving her lips.

"You…" I started slowly, shaking her encaging arm off of my shoulder, "You are a _bona fide _sociopath. _Both of you_," I hissed venomously at Marluxia. "You _lied_, you _cheated_. You tried to overthrow a freaking _Organization _of people _just like you_. What guarantee do I have of loyalty—a girl who can't even hit someone with a frying pan without squirming?" I took a deep, calming breath, suppressing the rage and fear bubbling in my chest. "Give me one damn good reason why I shouldn't throw you out onto the curb right now?"

Larxene was silent, a tad bit of surprise and apprehension to her expression.

Marluxia never spoke, but I could see his teeth clenching up and a vein popping out of his neck.

Something was slipping up, of that I was certain. I was a person who tried not to go back on their word, and considering that's twice now I ignored my own conditions, I soon wouldn't have the choice and would have to turn them over, if only to preserve my own self-worth. Whatever these guys said next would ultimately decide where they would be waking up tomorrow; my guest room or an insane asylum.

If it came to that, I tried to imagine that I would have the strength to actually sentence them to that fate. It wasn't too difficult, honestly.

"I will make sure they don't harm you."

I looked to the shadowy mass hiding in the niche on my living room. Lexaeus remained still, but he was looking directly at Marluxia with a fervor I had never seen before. He seemed to be standing at full height now, towering over all of us.

"I see the reason for your fear," he continued in his deep, rumbling voice. "We are criminals who have invaded upon your hospitality, and have betrayed your trust more than once. However," he looked at me, "I am under no illusion that without you and your little sister, we would have either been executed, or thrown away in to a cell a long time ago. And I thank you for not doing either of which."

He glanced towards Larxene, who wilted slightly and then back to Marluxia. His glare turned positively venomous. "I will personally make sure they shall be grateful, too. You no longer have reason to fear."

My eyes, which were slowly widening with every word, were now fully opened and saucer-like. I had never even thought Lexaeus' view about this whole mess, so the knowledge that he was actually _grateful_…?

It made me feel a little bit better.

But damn, who would've thought that Lexaeus of all people had the ability to monologue like that?

I could almost feel Marluxia's simmering anger now. Something told me he was having a bloody internal battle, whether or not he should preserve his pride and attack me, or preserve his dignity and accept my hospitality.

Let's just hope that he still had enough brains left to make the right decision.

Looking back to my current savior of sanity, I said awkwardly, "Thanks…Lexaeus."

He acknowledged me with naught but a nod.

"So…" Aki murmured for her little spot on the recliner. Her face was heavily clouded with shame. "So…they can stay here?"

I hesitated for a second and then said, "Fine. But three strikes you're out, guys. Got it?"

No one responded, but I felt like I got the message across. No more slip ups. I was at my wits end.

Turning, I stared at the forgotten scythe that remained propped up against the wall. While it still remained frightening, it didn't inspire abstract paralysis this time.

_But it was still as sharp as hell_.

Walking over, I gently touched the curve of the snath. "I'm confiscating this though."

After a half an hour of shouting, arguing, and overall nonsense, _those exact words _seemed to jolt Marluxia out of his coma. His head turned sharply over to me, his eyes glimmering with that earlier ire.

Slowly and carefully, I removed the weapon from the wall, holding the blade away from my body. It wasn't as heavy as I had always imagined it was, but it did require a great deal of balance to hold. I looked back towards Marluxia, the weapon swinging around with me. His eyes might as well been on fire, but he still didn't say anything.

"When a child misbehaves, he gets his toy taken away from him," I said, sweet as honey. "You can have this back after you thought about what you did."

"For you _ssinssss_," Aki hissed whimsically.

I shot her a look. She grinned, looking very happy. My eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Didn't you promise me you would work on your homework, like, yesterday?"

She seemed to have no trouble listening to me this time, as she instantly jumped out of the chair and headed for the stairs. "They don't need my help to try and kill each other, no siree," she mumbled as she passed me.

Deciding to get out now while Marluxia was still debating whether or not to risk Lexaeus' wrath and severely maim me, I strolled around the couch and followed after my sister. _Let the Nobodies duke it out by themselves_, I mentally agreed.

I passed Vexen on my way to the stairs. During the entire conversation, the academic had been squatting on the steps, tucked tight and out of sight. He clearly wasn't interested in a reunion with his previous tormentor. I gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder on my way up. He responded with a tiny smile.

_At least I never have to worry about him being on the other end of the knife. He's too much of a wimp._

Now, to survey the damage. My wall unit was cracked and now there are holes in my kitchen counter. Marluxia's frontal attack had cut straight through the wood and into the cabinet bellow, tearing open a sad jar of pretzels. It was going to be difficult to explain those to the carpenter.

_Oh, and we can't forget about my grievous battle wound_, I thought, fingering the _Hello Kitty_ bandage on my neck.

_Good start._

Figuring I wouldn't feel any better with the scythe's menacing presence clouding over me, I tucked it away into the very back of my walk-in closet, flipping off the lights as I slammed the door behind me. Feeling the weight of five hours of sleep crashing down on me, I dived onto my cozy mattress, very much interested in sinking in to the covers and disappearing forever.

_Didn't you promise me you would work on your homework, like, yesterday?_

I groaned miserably as my own words came back to me. Yes, the dreaded summer homework assignments. Three books to read and pages and pages of essays to write. It was only the second day of summer (it hasn't even been forty eight hours yet?), however I got the feeling that down time like this was going to be hard to come by due to _recent _events.

It can't be helped.

Reluctantly crawling to the edge of my bed, I reached and grabbed the depressingly thick book resting on my nightstand. _A People's History of the United States. _

Fun.

Getting comfortable in my pillow, I cracked open to the first page.

Now, I know what you might be thinking. Marluxia nearly chopped off your head and you're just going to sit there and read a book? The ringleader of the whole Castle Oblivion disaster was down there with his cronies, probably scheming away as we speak, and you're just going to hibernate in your room and write essays?

Well, while I would much rather battle the forces of evil than write a three page essay on the Atlantic Slave Trade I honestly didn't have any more energy to expend to our parasitic guests. Running on maybe four, five hours of sleep does that to a girl.

Yet at the same time, I didn't want to completely neglect my own life due to the influence of the Nobodies. If I had an essay to work on, then by Joe, I was going to work on that essay, with or without the annoying presence of the heartless wretches.

_It doesn't even matter I would have procrastinated the hell out of the assignment anyway, right?_

I grimaced, but continued to read.

As time slowly passed by, I became aware of the disturbances below. At first it just sounded like random shrieking, but eventually I could begin to hear them shouting. I could easily identify the higher pitched screaming as Larxene, and I could only guess the deeper voice was Marluxia. I think I could hear Lexaeus from time to time, but it was rare. Vexen was never heard.

Again, you ask, how could I just sit there and read this horrifically boring book as trouble was definitely brewing down below? How could I calmly read about the Colombian Exchange as the threat of severe violence was imminent?

Well, I did confiscate Marluxia's weapon. That had to count for something.

Actually, it was because of Lexaeus.

He never was a part of the C.O. fiasco, instead staying loyal to his own men, unlike some I won't even bother to mention. No backstabbing, no lying, just being a good ol' henchman. Besides, he said he would keep those other hooligans under control. I had to believe him.

Should I really take his word for it? Just like that? Well, if he really did mean to harm me, than what did it matter if I was down there performing crowd control duties or hiding up in my room? _A door wouldn't mean anything to _him, I thought, thinking about the monsters in the game _Amnesia_, who would tear down doors in order to kill you.

If I were to even slightly trust anyone here, it would be him. Even if his intentions might not strictly be because he likes me.

_You'll be hard pressed to garner any more loyalty from him when his little master gets here._

Trying not to think about it, I refocused on the tiny text of the book and tried to block out the troubles of the outside world.

**~*O*~**

While I was honest in saying I've been entertaining thoughts of writing this story for four long years, I was never very thorough when it came to writing drafts. I've only ever got as far as Lexaeus. This is completely unchartered territory, and I seriously need your support in order to continue on! You know what that means, my precious ducklings!

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**Comment Question of the Day:**

If not for Saix's interference, do you think Marluxia could have successfully taken over the Organization?

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Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go out and beg for money in order to buy me a 3DS. Dream Drop Distance, here I come! :D

_~DM-sama_


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